Devil's Canyon

by Ralph Compton

  The piece of gold-laced ore he had taken from Slade he tossed to Blackburn.

  “You son of a bitch,” Josh Snyder bawled, “you killed Levi Collins!”

  Dog Face laughed. “Not yet, but now we can afford to. He’s back yonder a ways, him and some mule jockeys, with five loaded wagons. We been waitin’ on them, but now we got you three. These Utes is gettin’ anxious about them wagon loads of goodies. I reckon we can go after ’em tomorrow at first light.”

  “Damn you,” Blackburn snarled, “we’re not leadin’ you anywhere.”

  “You’ll regret those words, Mr. Blackburn,” said Dog Face. “You’re speaking as a man that ain’t familiar with Ute torture. Half an hour at the hands of these Indians, and you’ll betray your own mother.”

  Sangre and Hueso laughed. Seeking reassurance, Josh Snyder looked at Felix Blackburn, but in his friend’s eyes there was only naked fear. While Slade and his companions hadn’t been close enough to hear the conversation, they had seen Dog Face pull a gun and disarm the new arrivals.

  “He’s showin’ ’em that piece of ore he took from you, Slade,” said Hindes. “Damn the luck, an’ damn you, for givin’ it to him.”

  “That’s all that’s kept us alive,” Slade snarled. “If you had somethin’ better in mind, then why the hell didn’t you come through, when it could of done some good?”

  “We’re about to get the bad news, all in a single dose,” said Withers. “Here comes the dog, himself.”

  “Good news, Slade,” Dog Face said. “These three gents Hueso brung in just happen to know where that gold claim is, so we ain’t got to wait and foller them wagons. Tomorrow, at first light, we’ll take them wagon loads of grub and goods. Like I promised, you and your boys is gonna be right in the midst of it. I want the five of you to ride in first, and get their attention. Tell ’em anything you want, so’s they’re off guard, and we’ll hit ’em from ever’ direction.”

  “And we’ll be the first to die,” Slade said bitterly.

  “Well, hell,” said Dog Face, “when a man takes to outlawin’, there’ll always be some risk.”

  He laughed and then walked away, as though unaware of the temptation Slade and his companions were facing. As though on signal, he whirled, drew his Colt, and shot the gun out of Slade’s hand as it cleared the holster. Again he laughed, slipped the Colt back under his waistband, and then he spoke.

  “I could’ve killed you, Slade, but I didn’t want you to miss the fun in the mornin’.”

  He made no move to take the weapons from Slade’s four companions, for the shot had alerted the rest of the camp.

  “Damn you, Slade,” said Hindes. “Now they won’t take their eyes off of us.”

  Slade said nothing. There was no feeling in his right hand, and his Colt lay a mangled ruin at his feet.

  “If we got to ride ahead of this attack,” Peeler said, “we can break loose, ride like hell, and warn the bunch with the wagons. Maybe we can throw in with them against this outfit.”

  “Peeler,” said Kritzer, “you ain’t been payin’ attention. Dog Face and his bunch aims to surround them wagons. They ain’t got a prayer, and neither have we. We’re done for.”

  Slade still said nothing, and they could see the defeat in his eyes. They settled down to brood about their situation, which seemed more impossible by the minute. Blackburn and Snyder had seen Dog Face draw his Colt and fire, and their wonder grew. Except for the sleeping Isaac, the two were alone, and it was Blackburn who spoke.

  “If there’s any way, we must escape and warn Levi and the teamsters. If they’re all wiped out, we’ll be kept alive just long enough to lead this bunch back to the claim.”

  “You think this one-eyed varmint ain’t expectin’ us to try and run for it?” Snyder said. “He only needs one of us alive to lead him to the claim.”

  “Isaac’s in no condition to run,” said Blackburn. “We don’t have much time, but we’ll have to wait until tonight, and see what happens. I can’t believe Levi and the teamsters ain’t had Ute trouble already. Maybe this attack won’t come unexpected.”

  * * *

  Durham and the McCutcheons, having heard Faro and Collins ride in, had returned in time to hear Faro’s argument favoring an attack.

  “Durham, I want you to stay here and entertain the McCutcheons,” Faro said. “It seems to be a full-time job.”

  “I suppose we’ll be using dynamite in this attack,” said Collins.

  “We’ll have to,” Faro said. “It’s the only advantage we have.”

  “After our attack, we got to stop ’em from comin’ after us,” said Shanghai. “It won’t be easy, even with dynamite, there’s so many of them.”

  “I don’t see how we can kill them all,” Faro said, “and we shouldn’t have to. Usually, the purpose of a camp such as theirs is to gain protection of the canyon walls. Wouldn’t you say that’s the case here, Collins?”

  “Definitely,” said Collins. “They’re dug in near the head of the canyon, where the rims are highest.”

  “I’m hoping we can dynamite the canyon walls,” Faro said. “We can’t hold them at bay for long, but maybe long enough to thin out their ranks with our Winchesters.”

  “A remarkable plan,” said Collins, “but you say the sentries are likely to be doubled after dark.”

  “They are,” Faro said. “It’ll be up to Shanghai, Tarno, Dallas, and me to move in and silence them. I think before we do anything else, we’ll take another look at the situation from the head of the canyon. We should be able to get some idea as to where the lookouts are.”

  “We’ll need more dynamite, then,” said Collins.

  “Yes,” Faro said. “Break out another two cases, with caps and fuse.”

  “Do you aim to move the wagons any closer than this?” Tarno asked.

  “No,” said Faro. “We won’t find a better position of defense, for there’s no cover for them to approach us.”

  “We should be camped in an arroyo, where we have some protection,” Durham said. “There’s no cover here.”

  “Durham,” said Faro, “you’d better stick to the few things you seem to understand.”

  “Yeah,” Dallas said in disgust. “When the fightin’ starts, crawl back under your rock.”

  “What about Mamie and me?” said Odessa. “We can shoot.”

  “If we’re attacked, and you can find time from your other activities,” Faro said, “feel free to join in.”

  Collins brought two cases of dynamite, and broke open the wooden boxes.

  “I’ll cap and fuse it,” said Collins, “while you separate it into bundles of the strength you want. What fuse lengths do you want?”

  “I’ll want two bundles of a dozen sticks each,” Faro said, “both with a two-minute fuse. All the rest with fuses of not more than ten seconds.”

  “My God,” said Dallas, “if two dozen sticks of that stuff don’t bring down the canyon walls, we might as well give it up for a lost cause.”

  “It’ll flatten the walls and anybody close by,” Faro said. “The concussion ought to take out maybe half those Utes, and I’m countin’ on it scarin’ hell out of the others. It’ll be up to us to go after the renegade leaders with our Winchesters. Without them to lead the attack, I’m hoping the Utes won’t go after the wagons. Unless Utes are different from most other Indians, enough dead can convince them their medicine’s gone sour.”

  * * *

  As the sun slipped toward the western horizon, Utes—three to each wall—began to ascend to the canyon rims for sentry duty. At three intervals along the canyon rims, ropes had been secured, the loose ends reaching almost to the canyon floor. The sentries simply climbed the ropes to their positions on the rims.

  “Without them bastards on the rims,” Hindes said, “we could shinny up them ropes and be out of here.”

  “I reckon your horse is gonna shinny up that rope ahead of you,” said Slade. “Otherwise, you’d be afoot.”

  “But I’d be al
ive,” Hindes said. “That’s all that concerns me now.”

  “Hindes,” said Kritzer, “I knowed if you talked long enough, you’d say somethin’ that made sense.”

  Near the opposite canyon wall, Felix Blackburn and Josh Snyder sat with the wounded Isaac Puckett, who still slept. The two miners had watched the six Ute lookouts ascend the canyon walls.

  “Maybe a way out,” Snyder said, “but we could never take Isaac.”

  “Forget it,” said Blackburn. “With Ute lookouts on the rim, we couldn’t make it, with or without Isaac. It’ll take something more.”

  “A miracle, maybe,” Snyder replied.

  * * *

  Thirty miles eastward, a miracle was in the making. Levi Collins, Faro Duval, and the teamsters saddled their horses. Mamie, Odessa, and Durham watched, saying nothing.

  “Of necessity,” Faro said, “we’re leaving these wagons undefended, except for the three of you. While I can’t ask anything of you, I can remind you of something. The Utes we’re goin’ after is only a small part of the total. There’s a considerable party of them behind us somewhere, likely mad as hell. This would be a prime time for them to attack, and after what we did to them last time, they won’t be in any mood to take captives.”

  Faro said no more, and when he led out, the others followed. Without a word, Mamie took her Winchester from the saddle boot, while Odessa retrieved hers from the wagon box. Durham took his own weapon from his saddle boot, and the trio settled down to wait and watch.

  “Collins and me will try and have a look from the head of the canyon, first,” Faro said. “We’ll only get one chance at this, and we’ll have to make it good.”

  Moonrise was only a few minutes away, and a light wind was out of the northwest. When Faro judged they were near the place where he and Collins had left their horses earlier, he reined up. The others reined up near him.

  “Shanghai, Tarno, and Dallas, I want you to remain here with the dynamite,” said Faro. “From the head of the canyon, Collins and me will try to get some idea as to where the Utes are on the rims. We’ll have to take them out before we can even think of planting the dynamite.”

  Faro and Collins drifted into the shadows and were gone.

  “This all seems too simple,” Dallas said softly.

  “Yeah,” said Shanghai. “Kind of like the war. When we all throwed in with General Lee, we was lookin’ to be home by Christmas.”

  “Five long years of hell,” Tarno said, “and I never saw home or family again. Christmas is just another day to try and forget.”

  On that somber note, conversation died, and the three waited in silence.

  Again, Faro and Collins were able to approach the head of the canyon, and by climbing near the notch where the water cascaded over the edge, they could see into the canyon below. As before, most of the men were congregated near the deep end, seeking the protection of the overhang of the canyon rims.

  “Those ropes up the canyon walls should point us to the sentries,” Faro said. “Three ropes up each wall.”

  “My God,” said Collins. “My God.”

  “What is it?” Faro asked.

  “See that man on the blanket, and the two sitting beside him?” said Collins.

  “Yes,” Faro said. “They weren’t here earlier today.”

  “The man on the blanket is Isaac Puckett, and the others are Josh Snyder and Felix Blackburn,” said Collins. “My partners from the claim.”

  “Damn,” Faro said. “That complicates things.”

  “It does,” said Collins. “They’re too far down-canyon. If we dynamite the walls, they will die in the explosion.”

  “Then we’ll have to get them out of there first,” Faro said. “But before we can do even that, we’ll have to dispose of the sentries. Let’s get back to Shanghai, Tarno, and Dallas.”

  Quickly, Faro related the changed circumstances to his three companions.

  “We can wait until moonset,” said Shanghai. “Is there a fire?”

  “Yes,” Faro said, “but burnt down to coals. It won’t provide much light.”

  “Then after we eliminate the lookouts,” said Shanghai, “we can hoist them three up the canyon wall on ropes.”

  “We can also get shot to doll rags,” Tarno said, “if we’re caught, and then it’ll be too late to set off them two big charges of dynamite. They’ll come boilin’ out of that canyon like mad hornets.”

  “Maybe not,” said Faro. “When we’ve eliminated the sentries, we’ll set the big charges of dynamite midway down the canyon. Shanghai, you’ll stand ready to light one of the fuses, and I’ll be prepared to light the other. Tarno and Dallas, you’ll help Collins with the rescue. Collins, you’ll have to get the attention of those men, and they’ll all have to be hauled out of there at the same time. Keep your horses out of sight on the rim, and be ready to drop three ropes. The minute you have those men on the rim, get them on your horses and ride, because that’s when Shanghai and me will light the fuses. You’ll have two minutes before she blows.”

  “My God,” Collins said, “I wish it hadn’t come to this.”

  “But it has,” said Faro, “and with your partners to lead them to the claim, this bunch of renegades wouldn’t have wasted any time attacking us. It’s all the more important now that we cripple them.”

  “My God, yes,” Dallas said. “If we hadn’t followed Faro’s hunch and come after them tonight, we wouldn’t have known they’d taken your partners captive. We’d have gone on thinkin’ we had plenty of time, because they needed to follow us to the mine. They’d have taken us by surprise, and with a larger force, gunned us down to the last man.”

  “We’ll wait for the moon to set, then,” said Faro. “Who wants to go after the Utes on the rim?”

  “You need only two men,” Tarno said, “and Shanghai’s near as good with a Bowie as I am. Them Utes is in for a dose of almighty bad medicine.”

  “You got it,” said Faro.

  “I’ll take the three on the west rim, then,” Tarno said. “Suit you, Shanghai?”

  “Sí,” said Shanghai. “Let’s move into position. The minute the moon sets, we’ll start to stalk them varmints.”

  Like shadows, they were gone.

  “My God,” Collins said, “they’re taking their lives in their hands, yet they go about it as though it’s all in a day’s work.”

  “On the frontier, it is,” said Dallas.

  “Yes,” Faro said. “A man does what must be done, and all too often, death is one of the painful side effects.”

  Ever so slowly, the moon descended, finally disappearing. The darkness seemed all the more intense, and in a remarkably short time, Shanghai and Tarno returned.

  “Six less Utes,” said Tarno.

  “Shanghai,” Faro said, “take this bundle of dynamite along the west rim to about the place where the third sentry was. I’m takin’ the other bundle to a position along the east rim. Collins, Tarno, and Dallas, I want the three of you on that rim directly above those three hombres we must bring out of there. Once you make your move, don’t waste a second. Ready?”

  “Ready,” said the three in a single voice.

  “Then allow Shanghai and me ten minutes to place the dynamite,” Faro said. “Once you have them three men on the rim, do this. It’s almighty dark, so light a match. Just for a second, and shield it with your hat, so only Shanghai and me can see it. That’ll be our signal to light the fuses to the dynamite.”

  Collins, Tarno, and Dallas led their horses a roundabout way. Coming in from the west, a light wind was to their backs, lessening the chances of one of their horses nickering and revealing their presence. A dozen yards from the rim, they halted, for there was one element of the rescue that hadn’t been discussed.

  “We have to get their attention,” Dallas said.

  “Droppin’ the ropes will do that,” said Tarno.

  “Coming as a surprise,” Collins said, “one of them could say something. Ready all the ropes, and I’ll
go down. We don’t have the time for misunderstanding or confusion.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” said Dallas, “but make it quick. The movement of lettin’ you down and haulin’ you up could attract somebody’s attention.”

  Dallas was more right than any of them realized, for Slade and his four companions were desperately seeking some means of escape.

  “Somebody’s comin’ down the canyon wall!” Kritzer hissed excitedly.

  “By God,” said Slade, “they’re comin’ after them miners that Hueso brought in. This is our chance.”

  “They ain’t gonna lift a finger to help us,” Hindes said.

  “I don’t expect ’em to,” said Slade. “To do what they’re doin’, they’ve had to get rid of them Utes along the rim. Them ropes they used to climb up and down is still there. It’s a way out.”

  Nobody argued with that. Getting to their feet, they crept along the canyon wall to the first of the ropes dangling from the east rim. But the movement didn’t go unnoticed from the west rim, where Tarno and Dallas had just lowered Levi Collins to the canyon floor.

  “Damn it,” said Dallas quietly, “them outlaws have figured out what we’re up to, that we’ve done away with the Utes on the rim. They aim to climb out, usin’ the ropes the Ute lookouts used. If we’re seen, all hell will break loose, and the two dynamite charges won’t be in time to save us or those hombres we came to rescue.”

  “It’s all in Collins’s hands,” Tarno said. “We don’t dare try to get his attention.”

  But Levi Collins had seen Slade and his men working their way toward the dangling ropes the sentries had used to ascend and descend the canyon walls. Blackburn and Snyder were on their feet, but wisely refrained from any greeting, when Collins reached the floor of the canyon.

  “Dynamite charges are set on both rims,” Collins said softly, “and we may be seen at anytime. There’s friends on the rim to raise you up, and here’s a rope for each of you.”

  “Isaac’s hurt,” said Blackburn. “Ute arrow.”

  “No help for that,” Collins said. “Get the rope under his arms. Then you and Josh take the other two ropes. I’ll stay here until you’re safe, and cover you as best I can, if we’re discovered.”